The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-25
YARNS ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE.
1t Saved Lep Harney's Life and Did a
Lucky Gambler Good Turn.
From the Nelo York Sun

From the Neao York Sun.
BENSON, ARR, May Histories of the
earthquake have been coming in during the
last few days in great numbers. Yesterday
morning Lep Harvey arrived here with an
account of how the earthquake saved his
life. Lep had been in this region for many
years, and while he is well liked by the ma
jority of the Mexicans, he has some inveter-
ate enemies among that element. 1t so hap
pened that ON the day of the first shock Lep
was over in the Milestone mountains when
he encountered Jose Villa, big Mexican,
with whom he had more than once quarrel.
u wasn't armed for greasers," Lep said.
u didn't have any knife, and the only gun
L had was small affair that was no good
except on white man. As soon as that
felier put eyes on me he came for me- We
were well up the mountain, and on one side
of us was a pool of water about 100 feet
| across and | don't know how deep. The
greaser had a gun and a knife, and as he
moved up | fired once or twice with no
effect. Believing that my time had come
began to say my prayers, when he grabbed
me round the waist, and after dancing me
up and down for a minute until he could get
| a good swing, he lifted me high in the air
| and over the bluff into the water.
In bet | sank $50 feet, but by the time |
struck bottom there wasn't drop of water
to be seen. As I went down | could feel
sort of shiver, but | didn't know for several
days after what caused it. You see struck
the pond just as the earthquake began, and
by some mysterious process all the water in
that pond was drained off as slick as though
there never had been any there AS /
| couldn't swim, this was a great thing for
me, and if was inclined to be conceited |
might say that the earthquake came along
on purpose to save me. That greaser would
have drowned me like rat in hole He
intended to fire at me as | was floating
around, but he never got a chance. When
L struck bottom he was skipping for the
level country with his hat flying behind
him. 1t took me the best part of a day to
climb out of that hole, but | made it after
while. I'm down here now to buy a gun
| that'll carry slug as big as a tobacco box,
and then I'm going calling"
Seventy-tive miles east of here two
| ranches join each other at place where an
| abundance of water has been had from
| several springs. For miles in every direc-
ton from this spot no water was to be found.
After the earthquake it was discovered that
the springs had dried up, and there was
great sorrow on the part of the owners of
the ranches until one of them found that the
waters had broken through on his land
| about three-quarters of mile from the line
of the other ranch. The man who had the
water wanted more than the other could
afford to pay While they were arguing,
another shock came along, and the waters
again disappeared, breaking out this time
on the other mans property at about the
same distance from the old spring. Then he
wanted too much money, and a fight was
about to begin when the flow ceased, and
for a week neither had any water. Now
the old springs have been revived.
Joe Berrageman asserts that the quake
saved him $3.50 He was in big game of
poker which had been running for twenty
hours, and as he was winner he had been
trying to draw out for some time, always at
his peril Whenever he intimated his wish
in this respect he was given to understand
that there would be trouble if he did not
hold on little longer. At length about
$3.50 o'clock, when he had just lost about
$3.50 on jack pot, he announced his deter
nation of pulling out on the plea that he was
sleepy and hungry, One of the players was
in particularly ugly mood, and as Joe was
putting his roll in his pocket the other
raised a revolver on him and cried ''Halt!n
1t was Joe's business to halt, or to pull
gun and open the fight as well as he could
under the circumstances, but in the instant
that he was revolving the matter in his
mind came the rumble and roar of the
earthquake, and the shabby board house in
thump that upset more plans than one As
soon as Joe could get his breath he found
that he was not hurt much, and that while
the others were foundering around he could
get away. He did so, with his money in
his pocket, and he is now tolerably well sat
isfled with his experience.
Religious services were in progress last
night at Mine Run when few rustlers from
the saloons agreed to get up an earthquake
shock of their own. One of them procured
tin boiler, and the others loaded them
selves with tomato and oyster cans. Then
marching quietly to the little meeting house,
they waited until everything was still in
side and threw their tinware against the
side of the building There was a rattle
and crash that might have been heard
mile and the church was empty in less time
than il takes to tell it. II so happened that
one of the biggest and toughest men in the
congregation came out through window
and fell in the crowd of rnstlers, one of
whom he hit in the neck with suoh violence
that he cannot turn his head around even
yet without running his tongue out. The
others got away. The service was not re-
sumed, the parson delivering the benedic-
ton from the front step.
Salvation Lasses